The Psychology of "Treat Yourself:" How to Manage the Urge to Splurge

You may associate "treating yourself" with getting pampered at a spa, going on a spending spree, attending a sporting event or concert or taking an exotic trip. In one of the most popular episodes of “Parks and Recreation,” for example, characters Tom and Donna decide to dedicate one day a year to engage in massive amounts of “retail therapy.”

But you don’t need to break the bank to feel better. Instead, you can obtain the positive psychological benefits of treating yourself by simply acknowledging that you deserve something special, managing your spending habits and learning about healthy and unhealthy ways to splurge.

There are psychological reasons for overspending while treating yourself. But why does it happen? It has a lot to do with power. Going shopping puts you back in the driver’s seat when something happens beyond your control. Research also shows spending can ease feelings of sadness. A study from the Journal of Consumer Psychology found that the act of making purchase decisions eased lingering sadness.

Sadness is associated with feeling helpless — not being able to control what is happening around you. Simply engaging in shopping-related choices, such as purchasing or rejecting an item, positively impacted the psyche. The downside is that a buyer’s mental state can blind them to price. One study published in Psychological Science found that people feeling sad were willing to pay up to 30% more on a product.

Staying aware of your behavior can help you examine the impact that specific emotions have on your financial decisions. If you do feel as if you have unhealthy habits with shopping, there are ways to help you recover.

Your finances can impact your mental health. Recently, Capital One released survey results showing matters related to money are the number-one cause of stress (73%), ahead of politics (59%), work (49%) and family (46%).

Treating yourself can help. But you don’t have to spend money to achieve a greater sense of self-worth and self-love. True self-care involves cultivating plenitude in the following areas:

In our consumer-based culture, it is common for people to look outside of themselves to find things to make them feel better — including food, drugs and alcohol, relationships and material possessions. However, the way to have the most meaningful self-care is by improving your relationship with yourself. This involves prioritizing your health and well-being, letting go of undue guilt, maintaining a sense of forgiveness toward yourself and others and acting as your own loving parent, best friend and compassionate advocate.

True self-worth stems from treating yourself with loving kindness and realizing a deeper connection to your value rather than your possessions. As a bonus, cultivating self-worth through healthy practices actually leads to more money, not less.

Treating yourself doesn’t have to leave you in the poor house. The following tips can help you manage spending habits and the urge to splurge.

Remember that it’s always possible to learn how to treat yourself responsibly. Just like a healthy diet allows for the occasional cheat day (which actually keeps you satisfied and sticking to the overall plan), taking a break from your routine and treating yourself can give you a renewed sense of purpose. Self-care should always be your top priority. The more we restore and refuel our energy, the greater positive impact we can make on the world, both personally and professionally.

When splurging, simply remember to engage in sustainable financial practices such as: